In recent years, solar power has become an increasingly important source of energy. Solar energy may be collected and harnessed in numerous ways, including through the use of solar collectors such as photovoltaic (PV) modules and solar-thermal heat and power collectors and converters. The size of these projects may vary tremendously—from single-family residential rooftops to sites exceeding one million PV modules.
The cost, useful lifetime, energy generation and economic value of solar power plants is highly dependent on many complex and interrelated parameters including but not limited to: i) location, ii) weather, iii) physical obstructions that interfere with layout, such as a skylight, iv) non-physical site features such as property line set-backs or utility right-of-ways, v) physical obstructions that may cast shade on the system, vi) local building codes that set weight limits and fire safety protection, vii) environmental conditions such as design wind speed tolerance, viii) available mounting surface, such as the ground, a roof-top or a framework above a parking lot, ix) local, state and federal law, x) utility electrical interconnection requirements, xi) existing electrical equipment at a customer's worksite and xii) the customer's cost of electricity or energy. The task of designing and analyzing an efficient system that comports with these requirements can be complex, time consuming, and error prone, and may constitute a major cost of solar energy project development.